citalopram

I was prescribed Amitriptyline for stomach/chest pain and for a short while it worked well enough (although I still had a little pain). My dose was increased from 10 mg to 50mg. However, the more severe pains have returned. After seeing the doctor yesterday he told me to stop taking the Amitriptyline and prescribed me with Citalopram (20mg) to take instead. Has anyone had or have taken this tablet and found it helpful for pain?  

[Bananas5]

Hello Iain

I take citalopram for help with coping. Have done for years.  Call them my 'happy' pills.

Basic dose of 20 up to 30 at the moment as all a bit difficult. Have been down to 10 for a long time but maintenance dose was increased.

GP monitored it carefully seeing me monthly but now on my script and don't see him unless I feel the need.

It has never been prescribed for pain and I certainly wasn't aware it has any pain relief ingredients

Pat x

[Hidden]

Hi I'm sure citalopram is an anti depressant? My doctor put me on it to try and help me cope but I started seeing things that weren't there etc so I was taken off of it.  Also when I was on Amitripilyne I had to gradually weened off it and really struggled to come off it I was on 30 mgs dose. 

Good luck with everything  and take care.

[Jim95]

I have got cerebellum ataxia and type 2 diabetic have got high blood pressure and I am on Prozac for a long time I started with 1 Prozac now I am on 3 per day and I need them because when I don't take them I am very weepy and thinking that I would be better for everyone that I wasn't here. I am on dihydrocodeine for the pain I have just found that smoking pollen only 2 cigarettes per day 1 in the morning and 1 at night helps me with the pain

[Hidden in reply to Jim95]

I too have Cerebellar Ataxia Jim. Do you know there is an Ataxia forum section on HealthUnlocked?

[ryanbone10]

I have pasted a link that may be of use to you:

webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-1701...

[Bananas5 in reply to ryanbone10]

Defo NOT pain meds.

Amitryptiline in lower doses is used for side effects of muscle relaxant thereby reducing pain.

Higher dose are used as anti depressant.

x

[makemepainfree]

Amitriptyline 50mg you must have been like a zomie and citalopram is antidepressant   

[Hidden in reply to makemepainfree]

I'm pretty sure that both amitriptyline and citalopram are anti-depressants makemepainfree. I also believe they can both be used for pain as well. I've put a link on below. Didn't think Amitriptyline 50mg was a high dose. I didn't experience many side effects either. I did experience dizziness but after a while it settled down a bit.

[Hidden]

Found a few links explaining 'citalopram for pain'. Heres one

wisegeek.com/what-are-the-d...

[Bananas5 in reply to Hidden]

Um. Yes. Well there are 2 conditions in there I don't suffer with.

Doesn't say at what dose it can help fybro.

x

[Hidden in reply to Bananas5]

I asked doctor if it is for pain relief and he told me it should help my stomach pain Pat. Second day on them but no change yet. Too early to say maybe? 

[Bananas5 in reply to Hidden]

Worth investigating as to type of pain it helps. I have severe sij pain but does nothing for that.

Stick with it iain. Your GP should know

x

[makemepainfree in reply to Hidden]

Yes Iain these tablets are used for many thing in conjunction with other meds

[onamission]

Hi yes both are happy pills I take nortiptline for nerve pain 50mg and they are also happy pills.

[earthwitch]

I didn't get on at all well with Citalopram - it really altered my mood completely, making me very flat emotionally, completely lost my enthusiasm and initiative, but also giving me some quite weird impulsive thoughts - if I hadn't been so grounded to start with, I think they could have led me to doing something stupid (for example at one point I was driving, and had weird thoughts about just veering onto the other side of the road into oncoming traffic - not something I would have done, but the thought was there quite strongly, and had I been in a bad frame of mind, who knows what would have happened).   I promised my doctor I would give it a good go, and take it for at least three months, but at the end of that time when I really didn't think it had done anything positive for me I decided to come off them (which I did by reducing slowly, as that type of meds are notorious for giving you major rebound withdrawal effects if you come off too fast).  I was fairly surprised to discover how much better I felt mentally and physically once off the Citalopram.  So, it definitely wasn't a drug for me.

I think if it really is your only or best option, then give it a go for at least three months, but then if you do decide not to continue with it, take at least a month of slow tapering to get off it again, to avoid any nasty mental or physical withdrawal effects.   But do remember that this class of drugs (SSRIs and SNRIs) do really muck around with your brain chemicals, and you aren't meant to take them short term, which makes it incredibly hard to come off them without having fairly bad psychological and physical withdrawal effects - unlike the older antidepressants which were always intended to only be taken for up to three months at a time, so were much easier to come off.

[Hidden in reply to earthwitch]

Like you say earthwitch I'll give them time. Over 20 years ago I was prescribed various kinds of anti-depresants and most of them did nothing for me or make things a lot worse. I have been prescribed Citalopram for pain and not depression as far as I know. Told doctor I'm not feeling depressed and he told me the tablets should help with my stomach pains. Through my past experience I would know if I was depressed or not. As long as they help me I'll keep taking them. Keep well. 

[earthwitch]

Another warning - citalopram does change serotonin levels in the brain.  I recently heard of someone who had developed serotonin syndrome because of the interaction between a SSRI and tramadol.  Might be worth getting your pharmacist to do a really good check of the interactions between all your meds.   Or you can do a check yourself using the drugs.com interaction checker.

[Haviour in reply to earthwitch]

I take both of these and have done for many years. I have had no problems with them apart from been tired a lot 

[makemepainfree]

amitriptyline is a muscle relaxant sleeping tablet and antidepressant sure used for other thing too..........used alone side other meds too

[Hidden]

Time will tell for me Daniel.

[Haviour]

Yes they are for depression but are used for many things.

[Andy-1978]

I've recently been diagnosed with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, following almost a year of sheer pain, sickness and much more. I've been on 40mg Citalopram now for around 3-4 months, and felt an uplift within the first few weeks. but nothing since then. I have CRPS in both my legs with noticeable loss in muscle mass. I've started a new physio program which is too early to tell but often makes things worst.

Soon I'm supposed to start lowering my Citalopram to 20mg too see how I respond. No one knows for sure what will happen if I am either dependant on support drugs or can function without.

my illness was a result of cancer in 2014 and the subsequent successful treatment. it took a little over a year for the major flare to hit and since then I've not been very mobile.

[Hidden]

Hi Andy. I no longer take citalopram. The doctor who knows me best said that Citalopram will not help to ease my stomach pains. I told her however that although I never felt any ease of pain from taking citalopram they helped my mood. I now take Trazidone with my Amitriptyline. Trazodone helps me sleep and Amitriptyline helps my pain.